Web Handling & Converting Blog

Web Handling Drives

I had the pleasure of attending the premier debut of Clarence Klassen’s Drives in Web Handling short course offered by AIMCAL’s ConvertingSchool. This is the first time anything like this has ever been offered to the industry. (The last web drive course was offered the better part of a decade ago and all courses prior to this either focused on one subset of web machines or one brand of drive.) This course clearly exceeded my expectations. Clarence has a nearly unique command of the subject area by virtue of experience as an employee of GE’s motor drive division doing programming, startup and management. The last half of his three-decade career was as a third party integrator responsible for commissioning, startups and troubleshooting of the most difficult drive applications. No less important is that he can teach. He is articulate and well organized and the notes are detailed and literally animated. He is clearly among the best instructors I have ever worked with.

The breadth of the course offered something for everyone, more than the drive programming emphasis I might have expected. Also included were must know control topics such as PLC’s (bread and butter of the electricals) as well as discussions of winder/unwind control challenges (sure to interest the mechanicals) and a thorough discussion of safety standards and drive project management (sure to interest the involved manager). I would not hesitate recommending this truly unique course offered to the public through AIMCAL or in-plant for larger plants that have a large number of motor challenges. Contact AIMCAL or Clarence directly at cklassen@klassen.on.ca for further details.

The Best and Only

The best web handling and the only winding shortcourses. See you March 16-19 in Atlanta, hosted by AIMCAL's Converting School.

Linkedin

I am not sure what to think about Linkedin. It seems something like a cross between a social network for marketing people and Facebook for the unemployed. Nonetheless, I have been a member for some time because many recently unemployed colleagues have asked me to. I cannot be your ‘friend’ on this site unless I know you because this is the stated policy of this particular social network. However, you can join the AIMCAL group. Sign up for Linkedin, sign on, then click on Groups Directory and put AIMCAL in search box and sign up. There is also a slitting group started by David Rumson.

Facebook

I have been on Facebook for a while. At first it was to communicate with the Venturing Crew that I teach whitewater kayaking for. (Twenty somethings just don’t use email much.) Later it was a place to put up some of my nicer photos. Then I found it was a way to keep up with distant friends and family. However, several of my web handling colleagues are also on.

If you want to friend me but don’t know me personally, simply send me a note with your friend request with the words ‘web handling’ and I will be happy to be your friend. You could also write. I read and respond to nearly every email and comment on this blog. B my valentine.

CMM?

When and where will the next CMM tradeshow be held?

Dunno for sure. Maybe April 6-8, 2011 in Atlanta. Tradeshows have been having a tough time even before the Great Worldwide Recession precipitated by greedy Wall Street bankers who draw salaries 10-100 times our own. CMM attendance crashed from its heyday of 700 exhibitors and 30,000 attendees (hope my memory serves about correct) a few years ago to less than 2,000 visitors in 2009. The CMM show was bought from Pennwell by Mack Brooks Exhibitions. However, it will not be called CMM, but rather ICE USA (International Converting Exhibition). Will keep you posted.

AIMCAL Celebrates 40th

It would be interesting to know if there are any ‘veterans’ from those early days. My involvement only goes back 15 years. I went and gave a paper just out of curiosity, but did not return regularly for a bit because, honestly, there just wasn’t that much going on for the web handling. WOW have things changed. It is now one of the three world capitols of web handling (the others being TAPPI and the WHRC) and a whole lot more. Much of this is due to the genius of Craig Sheppard who brought the best organizational talent from the web manufacturing and converting industries to serve as board members, directors and chairs. More importantly, he brought the best technical talent to serve as advisors, teachers and speakers. Since my first involvement AIMCAL has grown from an interesting footnote to be the goto place for technical information in our industry.

John Pasquale III - December 31, 1938 - November 27, 2009

We are saddened by the loss of John Pasquale. Though I did not know him well, only seeing him at a few conferences, he left an indelible impression. My first impressions were of an intensely energetic man. One could imagine him putting everything he had into his profession. After listening to him for only a short time I knew he was truly expert in his knowledge of converting machinery. After learning of his passing I did a bit more study and was surprised to find that he was no less energetic in his contributions to his community. For example, he was an award winning football coach for 40 years. He was also a board member of a hospital and his church. However, what surprised me most was what he confided to me at a recent AIMCAL event. That was that he was a long time heart transplant recipient. I wish I had more opportunity to learn from this man who had twice the heart, twice the understanding and twice the accomplishments of the best of our industry.

Nip Roller Workshop

Nip Roller Workshop by Timothy J. Walker and Dr. Kevin A. Cole on February 16 – 18 in Rochester, NY.

Nipped rollers are the most common method to create high pressure many value-adding web processing, including coating, printing, laminating, winding, and embossing. Nipped rollers are also commonly used to prevent air lubrication in heating, cooling, corona treating, and tension control driven rollers.

In most cases, the goal of a nipped roller system is to provide uniform pressure across the web's width, but diameter variations, hardness variations, misalignment, deflection, web thickness variations, and uneven loading can all lead to undesired pressure distributions and a variety of defects. Understanding the root causes of these defects and their common remedies can quickly improve your profitability.

The goal of this workshop is to show how to improve your roll and web quality through a better understanding of the winding process, winder design, and roll measurements.

Unlike any other option in web handling education, the AIMCAL series of web handling "workshops" are one-of-a-kind training that combines classroom seminars with on-machine demonstrations at Optimation's Media Conveyance Facility.

The Closest Thing to Immortality

The closest thing to immortality is to write (or be written about). AWEB Call For Papers Deadline is January 20.

The rest of you mark your calendars for this must-see, hands-on and practical, one-of-a-kind conference in Rochester NY, May 17-20.

The Don’t Miss Drive Shortcourse

Drives are often the weakest link in our web handling controls causing all sorts of troubles. Find out how to fix those troubles by signing up for Clarence Klassen’s web drive shortcourse right now. I already did. See you February 25-26 in Chicago (or Oct 7-8 in Brussels).